Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of the delegates. I apologise for being late. I had a conflicting meeting to attend.

I am delighted to see so much progress being made in developing the new apprenticeships, in particular. I worked with some of the delegates in the establishment of the Apprenticeship Council. It is most welcome that, I think, 67 apprenticeships are due to be created by 2020. Really good work has been done. The challenge now is to get the message out as broadly as possible because we need employers and apprentices to fish the opportunities that are available.

I join Senator Byrne in congratulating the regional skills organiser in Limerick, Mr. Joe Leddin, on organising the apprenticeship forum. I think he is one of eight regional skills organisers throughout the country. The forum is a model that should be followed in other places. The delegates might let me know whether that is the plan.

I will focus mainly on getting the message out. Someone mentioned the Generation Apprenticeship campaign. I would like to receive an update on how widespread is the campaign. Social media are crucial in getting young people interested. Is there a need for a reinvigoration of the presence on social media to ensure young people know about the campaign? I refer also to the local media, particularly in the case of parents.

I do not know whether anyone can do anything about the way in which league tables are published in newspapers, but the inclusion of apprenticeships, as well as higher education options, would make a difference in terms of perception. I find it disgusting to read that such and such a school is the best in the country because 100% of its pupils go on to attend higher education when there are other, equally valid, opportunities that reflect the excellence of schools and which are completely brushed under the carpet. Perhaps it might be worth contacting the media, specifically the newspapers that publish the league tables, to say apprenticeships should be included. I do not know what the views of the delegates are or whether they would have a role in doing this. Perhaps we might as a committee and it is something we could do.

The next issue I wish to raise follows on what members, particularly Deputy Catherine Martin, said about green building, the European Social Fund and the midlands. The Youth Guarantee is another European concept that should capture young people who end up going to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection instead of the people about whom Deputy Funchion talked who should really be guided towards the opportunities which are meant to be covered under the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Regarding the midlands, I was struck by the reference to the displacement of peat and so on. I think Mr. O'Flaherty might have some knowledge of the globalisation fund. Is funding available to direct people who may have been involved in the use of fossil fuels, etc., towards alternative opportunities?